Every year, we all try our best to improve upon our lives for the new year. For some people it is a matter of getting fit, getting more organized, or accomplishing a feat they have always wanted to try. This year maybe our goal should be to live a greener, more eco-friendly life.
It’s really not hard to change a few things in our lives to reduce our impact on the earth. The hard part is getting started, but once we get going we usually find that it becomes a comfortable part of our day-to-day lives. Here are a few ideas to make 2012 your greenest year yet.
Keep it clean, but keep it green: Although we don’t always want to, we all have to clean eventually. In 2012, try focusing on using eco-friendly options for household cleaning. Instead of using harsh chemicals like bleach and ammonia, try utilizing natural cleaners like baking soda and vinegar to conquer tough cleaning jobs. Sometimes the best recipe for cleaning up is simply a little extra elbow grease, but check out these ideas for some time-tested concoctions. If your cleaning job is too much for you to handle, contact us here at Real Green Cleaning to set up an appointment.
Support local business: 2012 can also be a year that you dedicate to shopping locally. Each year, a large portion of our income is spent shopping at stores that are not based in our local economy. However, if we focus on shopping locally this year we can accomplish three things:
- Build a stronger economy that provides jobs for unemployed individuals. Local stores keep jobs in the community, and keep the revenue local too!
- Ensure that we all have options. Local stores do not dictate what products are offered to consumers, but instead allow the customers to make suggestions and help identify what products need to be offered based on the demand.
- Continue to build community character. Most local business owners have invested a significant amount of time and money in their start-up, and it is in their best interest to keep the community growing. Local businesses often return a large portion of their earnings back into the community, which helps to support the long-term growth and character.
Save gas (and money too!): Make 2012 a year of gas savings (and money too). A lot of money and fuel can be saved simply by planning ahead for trips and errands. If you need to go out to the store, think ahead and decide if there are other stops you should anticipate. Not only will you cut down on your overall fuel usage, but you will also bank a lot of extra cash that you can use on something useful. Maybe carpet cleaning?!
The above are just a few ideas to help make the new year a little greener. We welcome all ideas and plans for 2012. Post them as a comment or contact us on our website.